Earlier this week, Primavera Sound Barcelona’s lineup for 2015 was announce and we are taking up some serious real estate. For those making the pilgrimage this year for the festival’s 15th year anniversay, make note of the following:

In Dean’s Words:
Happy to share a new song from GOON by Tobias Jesso Jr. “How Could You Babe” was produced by Chet “JR” White (formerly of Girls), and Tobias’ first official music video, directed by Grant Singer.

Tobias has already been picked by Time, Pitchfork, Fader, Stereogum + more as an Artist to Watch in 2015. Pigeons & Planes called him “one of the most consistently impressive new acts in music.” He just played two sold out shows with Foxygen at The Roxy in LA, and will embark on his first ever headline tour in March. Full dates and tickets for all dates below.

A few words from Tobias about “How Could You Babe”:

I didn’t listen to any 70′s music when I was young or even until I heard it’s what people thought my music most sounded like. When I was younger I listened to things like the Fugees and Aretha, along with all the other radio hits of the time. My favorite song was ‘give me one reason’ by Tracy Chapman, I remember going to listen to it in the vegetable section at the grocery store because they played it all the time and I didn’t have it on tape until I got lucky one day and snagged it off the radio. How Could You Babe was written around the chorus, I just came up with the line and then wrote more words in that theme, it was an experience I had gone through but it wasn’t something I thought I needed to say or get out, it just came out that way.

‘Goon’ is out March 17th. The first two tracks from the album “Hollywood” and “How Could You Babe” are available instantly with iTunes pre-order.

We are really besides ourselves with pride and joy to announce that True Panther Sounds will be releasing the debut album from Tobias Jesso Jr. \ March 17th, 2015. Want to tell you about it, but thought it’d be best for Tobias for put it into his own words…
In 2008 I moved to LA to play backup bass for a Pop singer. That job didn’t work out, but I ended staying in LA for four years. I returned to North Vancouver because my mother had been diagnosed with cancer (she’s better now). I wrote most of the songs on my album Goon about my time spent in LA. It was a reflection that included, like the most popular of love clichés, a tough break up.

In my haste returning to Vancouver, I had left all my instruments in a storage locker in LA. My sister had moved out and left her piano at my parent’s house, an instrument I had yet to explore. The first song I wrote on that piano was ‘Just A Dream.’ It was also one of my first attempts at singing. I have yet come to terms with my singing voice, but at the time I was left with no other option.

I recorded the demo, and then did a few more. Afterwards I sent the demos to JR White [Girls], someone who had produced one of my favorite records of the past few years (and was also signed to True Panther, the label I’m currently on). Soon after, he asked me to come down to San Francisco to record an album. After a series of visa issues and border complications, I finally met him and spent the next few months jumping from San Francisco to Los Angeles, recording in studios and bedrooms with friends.

After all that was said and done, I got offered to have a few more of my songs produced by Patrick Carney [The Black Keys] in Nashville, and Ariel Rechstaid in Los Angeles. I owe the sound of the record to the great effort of everyone involved, the producers and musicians doing and playing things I couldn’t and treating the production with the same reverence I treat my songwriting.
The writing will always be the most important to me; the production, playing and singing I am still figuring out. I still play a bit of guitar, but I’m mostly sticking to the piano these days.
- TJJR. December 2014

‘Goon’ was recorded over the last two years and features production from Chet “JR” White (formerly of Girls), Black Keys’ Patrick Carney, and Ariel Rechtshaid (Vampire Weekend, Haim, Sky Ferreira). Pitchfork recently gave album highlight “Hollywood” Best New Track, calling it “the film negative to Billy Joel’s ‘New York State of Mind’.” ‘Goon’ album art is pictured above.

TRACKLIST:
1. Can’t Stop Thinking About You
2. How Could You Babe?
3. Without You
4. Can We Still Be Friends?
5. The Wait
6. Hollywood
7. For You
8. Crocodile Tears
9. Bad Words
10. Just A Dream
11. Leaving LA
12. Tell The Truth

In March, Tobias will also launch his first ever tour, headlining a run of East and West Coast dates. On January 2nd and 3rd, he’ll open for Foxygen at LA’s Roxy Theatre. Tobias recently hosted a series of intimate solo piano performances in NYC, LA, and London, and was met with tremendous praise… After hearing “Without You,” The a writer at the FADER was brought to tears: “A tremendous wave of pain and nostalgia came over me, and I started to cry.” Woah.

“Tobias Jesso Jr is a songwriter, piano player, and singer from Vancouver, Canada who has just signed to True Panther Sounds and will release his debut album in the spring of 2015. He recently went to Los Angeles and recorded Takeaway Session for La Blogothèque at the Kibitz Room of Canter’s Deli. The live performance is the first video footage online of Tobias and features a new song from the forthcoming album, ‘Without You’ and the previously released Just A Dream’.

Since posting his first demo online for ‘Just A Dream’ in 2013, Tobias Jesso Jr has been working with JR White (Girls) and several other notable producers on his debut album in studios in Los Angeles, San Francisco and Vancouver. In July he shared his latest song ‘True Love’ which was named Best New Track by Pitchfork, called “Stunning” by Consequence Of Sound, with NME adding, “‘True Love’ is little short of wondrous. It recalls peak-period Elton John in its stark simplicity, with a bit of Ryan Adams and Harry Nilsson chucked in for good measure.”

Whilst working on his album, Tobias launched a singles subscription series. The premise is simple – $5 for 5 (plus shipping) of his unreleased, unadorned piano demos pressed onto flexi 7” singles and mailed to subscribers in 3-week intervals. There are a few subscriptions left of the pressing of 300. The first song, ‘Bad Dreams’ is already in the mail…. Sign up HERE

There’s been some rumblings about a new member of the True Panther family….a songwriter by the name of Tobias Jesso Jr. He’s got a couple of songs out there on the internets right now if you want to listen. More on him soon but first, we wanted to share a very simple thing with you.

Five new Tobias Jesso Jr. songs for $5 (plus shipping). Once a month you’ll get a flexi single in the mail with a new unheard song written and recorded by Tobias. We’re not doing a digital of this so if you’re subscribed, you’ll hear it, if you’re not, you’ll have to find a friend who is….We made 300 of them.